THE boss of Scotland’s largest teaching union has blasted a pay offer aimed at averting strikes later this week as “nothing less than an abject insult” as school staff carry on preparations to walk out on Thursday.
The Scottish Government made a new offer to the EIS (Educational Institute of Scotland) and SSTA (Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association) unions on Tuesday in a bid to prevent industrial action, with the former set to strike this week.
Shirley-Anne Somerville has urged union leaders to postpone action to consider the offer.
“This is a fair offer which recognises that the cost of living crisis is the priority, with higher increases for staff on lower salaries,” the Education Secretary said on Tuesday.
“This is now the fourth offer that has been made. In the same time, EIS have not changed their request for a 10% pay increase – even for those on the highest incomes.
“I have been clear that we have limited room for manoeuvre.
“The financial situation for the Scottish Government is challenging and additional money for teacher pay means reduced public services elsewhere.
“In these challenging times it is important we focus our attention on those who are most impacted by the cost of living crisis, as well as ensuring fairness to all public sector workers.
“I would urge leadership to postpone plans for industrial action and consider this new offer.”
The EIS unanimously rejected the minister's plea, with its general secretary Andrea Bradley describing the offer as “nothing less than an abject insult to Scotland’s hard-working teaching professionals”.
“Teachers overwhelmingly rejected a 5% offer more than three months ago and now, after months of prevarication and weeks of empty promises, Cosla and the Scottish Government come back with an offer that is worth that same 5% to the vast majority of teachers,” said Ms Bradley.
“This is not, as the Scottish Government claims, a progressive offer – it is a divisive offer, made on a differentiated basis, which is actually worse for many teachers in promoted posts.”
Under the proposals, teachers earning less than £40,107 will receive an increase of £1926 per year, 6.85% for those on the lowest salaries, while those earning more will receive a 5% increase and those earning more than £60,000 will receive a £3000 boost.
As well as the EIS, which rejected after a special meeting of its salaries committee, a SSTA spokesperson described it as a “very disappointing pay offer”.
“The unions have been led down the garden path by Cosla and the Scottish government and tell us they care about teachers and value their commitment over the last few years,” the spokesperson said.
“This offer will not go down well with teachers and I would expect the planned strikes to go ahead. Maybe they will listen to parents and children as they are not listening to teachers.”
When she announced the pay offer, Sommerville described it as a “fair offer which recognises that the cost-of-living crisis is the priority, with higher increases for staff on lower salaries”.
“This is now the fourth offer that has been made. In the same time, EIS have not changed their request for a 10% pay increase – even for those on the highest incomes.
“I have been clear that we have limited room for manoeuvre.
“The financial situation for the Scottish Government is challenging and additional money for teacher pay means reduced public services elsewhere.
“In these challenging times it is important we focus our attention on those who are most impacted by the cost-of-living crisis, as well as ensuring fairness to all public sector workers.”
Katie Hagmann, Cosla resources spokesperson, said the new offer is “fair, affordable and recognises that the cost-of-living crisis is the priority”.
But Bradley said it is neither “an improved, realistic, progressive or generous offer” and her members will see it as a “kick in the teeth from their employers and the Scottish Government”.
“Our programme of strike action, which will commence as scheduled on Thursday, will clearly show the strength of feeling of Scotland’s teachers who will be out in numbers and with strong voice on picket lines and at regional rallies,” she said.
The new offer, and its rejection, came after the Education Secretary told MSPs any increase in pay is “unaffordable”.
Addressing a question in Holyrood from Scottish Tory education spokesperson Stephen Kerr, Somerville said: “The UK Government made clear in the autumn statement that there is no additional support for public sector pay. Not one penny.
“So I’m afraid the 10% pay claim that is coming from the teacher unions is unaffordable to the Scottish Government.
“Any extra money for pay deals will have to be found elsewhere within an already contained Scottish Government budget.”
The Tory MSP told the Education Secretary: “Teachers have been let down by an SNP Government too slow to come to the table and take decisive action to resolve the pay disputes.”
He branded the Education Secretary’s earlier statement an “embarrassment to Scotland”.
Kerr said: “To have a Cabinet Secretary, in an area which is fully devolved like education, blame the UK Government… it is beyond pathetic.”
